BOONE, N.C. – The App State women's basketball team snapped a three-game drought with a 73-67 overtime victory over Georgia State for Pink Day and Alumni Day on Saturday. With 0:23 left in regulation, senior
Elena Pericic drained a crucial 3-point bucket to force overtime, where the Mountaineers outscored the Panthers, 13-7, to seal the win.
"I'm obviously really proud of our team," said head coach
Alaura Sharp. "I told them after Wednesday's game, because we've had a rough stretch, our next few days will say a lot about really the type of character that we have. Can you keep showing up when you don't get what you want? That's really hard to do as a person. That's not normal, that's not human nature, most people put their head down when they don't get what they want. I was just really proud of how our team continued to keep fighting and we could've gotten the wind sucked out of our sails, because Georgia State made it really hard. We needed this. We need to just know what it feels like to close out a close game. I'm glad it wasn't easy, to be honest, that we felt what it was like to get a hard, gritty, overtime win. We've had a hard time stepping up and closing out. We missed a lot of bunnies to finish it, so we've got to continue to move the needle with that."
"What a day for the program. Valorie Whiteside means everything to App State Women's Basketball. When you talk to the people that she played against, the way that she lived her life as a way that we should all live our lives as a player, as a teammate, as a wife, as a mom, as a coach. I had a chance to see her as a coach as she was a Dorman when I first got to Presbyterian College, so it's great having her family here and we will always make sure that we wear those jerseys with pride," Sharp said. "Having the alumni back and having them at shootaround and at the event last night, just a great day for the program. I'm so proud to be the head coach here and just so motivated to continue to grow and move the needle. I know we're not where we need to be and where we probably expected to be as a group, but we've got to be able to fight and play our best basketball at the right time."
Four Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by Pericic, who netted 18 points. Pericic drained 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 from the field. Junior
Daisia Mitchell recorded her 17th game in double figures with 15 points and combined with seniors
Emma Smith and
Emily Hege for 15 of App State's 21 assists. With a team-high 10 rebounds and 12 points, freshman
Addie Biel registered her first career double-double.
The Mountaineers (11-14, 4-10 SBC) held the Panthers to a 3-point percentage of 22.6% as well as seven second chance points and nine bench points.
Sophomore
Feryal Defne Atli put the Mountaineers on the board with a layup within the first 0:17 seconds of play. After the Panthers met App State at 5-5, the Mountaineers went on a 10-0 run over 2:36 with layups and 3-point buckets from Hege and Pericic. Another Atli layup kept the Mountaineers ahead, 19-14, at the close of the first period. Georgia State managed to hold App State to seven points in the second period, narrowing the Mountaineers' lead to 26-24 at the close of the half.
App State outscored Georgia State, 20-8, in the third period, with Biel, Pericic, and junior
Daisia Mitchell combining for 16 of the Black and Gold's points. Over 6:56, the Mountaineers went on a 16-0 run to take a 42-24 lead, App State's biggest lead of the game. With a jumper from Mitchell and a last-second layup in the paint from Biel, App State entered the fourth period with a 46-32 lead.
Georgia State managed to catch up to the Mountaineers and edge ahead, 51-50 midway through the fourth quarter. Pericic and Atli answered with back-to-back layups to push the Black and Gold ahead, 54-51. With a quartet of free throws with 0:28 left in regulation, the Panthers pushed ahead, 60-57. With 0:23 on the clock, Pericic drained her fourth triple of the game, assisted by Smith, to tie things up at 60 all.
The Mountaineers were first to score in overtime as Mitchell made a fastbreak layup in the paint. A pair of freebies from Biel, a triple from Smith, and a three-point play from Mitchell kept App State ahead, 70-64. As Georgia State narrowed the deficit to three (70-67), graduate student
Jada Burton drained a pair of free throws. With 0:06 left in overtime, Smith knocked down a free throw to seal App State's win, 73-67.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will clash with Coastal Carolina and James Madison on their final regular season road trip next week. App State will appear in its fourth Education Day of the 2025-26 campaign on Wednesday when they take on the Chanticleers at 11 a.m. in Conway, S.C. The Mountaineers will then head to Harrisonburg, Va. for a 2 p.m. Saturday clash with James Madison. Fans will be able to stream both games on ESPN+.
